Chapter 53
“Damn it, damn it, damn it, damn it!!”
Bam!
After the meeting ended, Jelros returned to his room and vented his stress from the recent events by smashing innocent decorations and kicking them around. For someone who took pleasure in witnessing others' despair and suffering, this failure left a particularly bitter taste.
Approaching those consumed by jealousy or vengeance, pretending to grant their wishes only to lead them to further ruin—that was Jelros's way of expressing his own inferiority complex and handling matters in his twisted style. In truth, he hadn't harmed Princess Astraia because watching her wither away due to the emperor's neglect of his own daughter satisfied his base desires.
This saintess incident was the same; he'd infused his own cravings into the mission to eliminate her, but an unexpected Aura Lord had appeared and foiled everything.
“Damn that bastard! I won't let him get away with this!”
“Lord Jelros.”
At that moment, one of his subordinates arrived. Remembering his order to gather information on Mars Noctus, Jelros broke into a grin.
“You're here. Tell me you've got everything on that Noctus scum.”
“Yes. As you commanded, we focused on those around him.”
Jelros scanned the information with growing interest.
“Ho... Is this all true?”
“Yes. It's already confirmed that she's left the Noctus household.”
“I see... I see... Heh heh heh.”
Ignoring the house arrest order against him, Jelros immersed himself in ecstatic thoughts of revenge against the Mars who had humiliated him so thoroughly.
The academy reopened after the break. The kids I hadn't seen in a while gave off an air of growth, even though it hadn't been that long. With a string of incidents making everyone realize the academy wasn't just a safe haven anymore, more students showed a spiritually matured demeanor.
It's awkward, but... not a bad change.
At a time when the Heaven God Cult bastards were about to ramp up their activities, this kind of growth was more than welcome. If these kids grew fast, they might even handle some of my workload.
I exchanged brief greetings with my classmates and was about to head to the training grounds for swordsmanship class, which I'd missed—
“Mars. You're exempt from swordsmanship class from now on.”
“Pardon?”
I got kicked out of class. Or more accurately, I was no longer a student.
“There's no way I, a mere master, have anything left to teach an Aura Lord like you.”
Our homeroom teacher, Professor Idrus—who handled swordsmanship for the first-years—explained that he'd developed a more systematic, advanced curriculum over the break, but nothing that could satisfy my level. Instead, he asked me to act as a teaching assistant, helping monitor students' forms and techniques alongside him, and offering personalized advice through spars.
The students chimed in that advice from a peer like me might resonate more than from the professor, pleading earnestly. It sounded like a hassle, but I accepted in the end.
“...So, Mars Noctus, who attends our class, will serve as my teaching assistant. If you have any complaints or questions, speak now.”
Fortunately, there weren't many objections. A tiny handful seemed reluctant about learning from a classmate, but most eyed me with curiosity or excitement at the chance to learn swordplay from an Aura Lord.
“Um... I have a question.”
A boy raised his hand.
“Go ahead. What is it?”
“How... how did Noctus become an Aura Lord at our age? Can I ask that?”
His question drew everyone's gaze—students and even the professor—toward me.
“Hm... It's not that impressive, so I can tell you. But it's something incredibly simple, and at the same time, incredibly difficult.”
The moment I said I'd reveal the secret to reaching Aura Lord, the room fell silent as they leaned in, hanging on my every word.
“Simple. Overcome your heart demon through your own will. That's the qualification of an Aura Lord.”
“Heart demon?”
“Yes. Sooner or later, you'll all hit a wall in your growth. Not just a plateau, but a fundamental flaw—lack of talent, inadequacy, or trauma.”
In my case, trauma from my past life kept me from even holding a sword, but the count's words sparked enlightenment, letting me shatter my limits and step onto the Aura Lord's path.
“Why did you pick up the sword? What do you want to achieve with it? Embrace even your weaknesses, gain true insight into your life, and you'll reach the Aura Lord's path.”
The professor seemed deep in thought, as if piecing something together, while the students tilted their heads, not fully grasping it.
“Haha. I got lucky—had a chance encounter that led to enlightenment. But you'll all get your moments too.”
“So what sparked your enlightenment, Noctus?”
“Ah, that's... hard to say. Personal reasons.”
How do you explain reincarnation and overcoming past-life trauma? Later, thanks to my advice, the library saw a rush on self-improvement books, but sadly, no one truly understood enlightenment.
“I heard the rumors. You're assisting in swordsmanship as a TA now?”
“Word travels fast. And your speech pattern shifted again?”
On my way back to the dorm after class, I ran into Princess Astraia and walked with her, chatting.
Rumors had already spread this far. Well, news of an Aura Lord coaching freshmen would fly fast. Even after class, upperclassmen lingered around me, probably hoping for pointers.
“Ahem... The speech is still unfamiliar. His Majesty pushed my qualification for the throne war, so I can resume activities. Starting from scratch is tough, but I've done it once before—not impossible.”
“...You're going for emperor again?”
I recalled her true dream I'd overheard. I worried she might abandon it again.
“Do I seem like I'd give up that dream?”
“No, it's just... the one who said that is declaring she'll become emperor...”
“Heh. Worried about me?”
I averted my eyes, embarrassed, and she flashed a bright smile, clearly enjoying it.
“Don't worry. I won't abandon anything. I can be a great emperor and a great mother.”
“...That'll be tough.”
Her ambitions were noble but daunting. Even for someone as brilliant as her, without a solid base, winning public support in this chaos was no easy feat. Plus, with childhood wounds not fully healed, balancing imperial duties and motherhood would be a real challenge.
“Didn't you promise to protect me?”
“...I did.”
“Then no need to worry.”
Her words came as naturally as breathing, stunning me so much I forgot to breathe myself. Not because I disliked or found it burdensome—just shocked that she trusted me this much. And... that trust didn't feel bad at all.
“...I won't say it'll be easy. I wouldn't weigh your dream so lightly. Instead.”
“Instead?”
“I'll cheer you on.”
“...That's enough.”
Her smirk felt more genuine and beautiful than before—no awkwardness or pretense, just pure happiness from the heart. Thinking it was because of me filled me with quiet pride.
“By the way, you haven't mentioned Polo lately.”
“Oh? Ah... Well, things have been busy, as you know.”
True enough. Even I'd been dragged everywhere, resolving incidents nonstop.
“Tell me if you need anything. I take responsibility, so I'll work hard as your love manager too.”
“...I know you're not doing it on purpose, but sometimes I just want to smack you.”
“Pardon?”
“Ah, there you are!”
As I started to ask what she meant amid her sigh, a familiar voice rang out.
“Saintess?”
“Hehe. I looked everywhere. Went to your classroom, but you'd already left.”
She was slightly out of breath—probably chased me down. Still, her face lit up with joy at seeing me.
“Sorry. Didn't mean to make you run.”
“N-No, it's fine!”
“But why me...?”
“Oh, right! I wanted to introduce someone to Brother Mars!”
“To me?”
The saintess, who'd feared strangers since the incident, stepping up to introduce someone? It was admirable—and piqued my curiosity. She pulled forward the person behind her—
“My new personal maid, Luna!”
“...Pardon?”
No, Luna. Why are you here?